When Guerlain unveiled their ultra exclusive perfume L’Abeille de Guerlain housed in 20 exquisite crystal bottles/sculptures made by Baccarat and worth 20,000$CAN (don’t worry: completely sold out) they sent out their Artistic Director on a press tour. This gave me the opportunity to talk to an amazing woman: Sylvaine Delacourte. She is the first woman to be the head of major perfume house, and not any old perfume house either, Guerlain is the oldest and most respected of them all. It became clear to me that she is an exceptional woman and beyond passionate for perfumery and all that is Guerlain.
Eva Bilinska: How did you discover the fascinating world of perfumes?
Sylvaine Delacourte: I was working at the makeup counter and, one day, I realized that I was at Guerlain, one of the most amazing perfume houses in the world and I knew nothing about perfumes. So I enrolled myself in a starter course that was given by an outside company. I had a revelation. Then Guerlain gave me the opportunity to follow a perfumers training - not to become a nose but to really delve into the world of perfumes.
After my studies, I started an in-house training program and after that I was given the opportunity to test new perfumes and, eventually, I became Head Creative Director. I was working with outside perfumers up until two years ago. Then, Thierry Wasser came in as Master Perfumer and I became Artistic Director.
EB: Do you consider yourself a perfumer?
SD: No, I don't write formulas. I do have technical knowledge about perfumes. I have a consumer approach to perfume and also an artistic approach. When I was Head Creative Director, I would give very precise briefs, for example, when I created L'Art et la Matière, for Cuir Béluga I wanted a blond leather, light and clear with lots of vanilla and powdery notes. I knew what I wanted so well, I could smell it. I started working with the perfumer, explaining to him how I envisioned the fragrance. I was like a coach, I was controlling the process, but I knew what I was talking about and also contributing with creative input. But I never saw myself as a perfumer.
Today, I'm thrilled to be working with Thierry and I help him as much as I can with all his research and the projects that we develop for Guerlain. As you might know, I'm also in charge of creating custom perfumes for private clients.
EB: On the Guerlain Website you are listed as the creator of Cuir Beluga...
SD: Yes, but at the time I was never the sole creator, I always put forward those who created the perfumes. Olivier Polge for Cuir Béluga, Rose Barbare with Francis Kurkdjian. Angélique Noire with Daniela Andrier. For each new perfume, I would choose someone that I knew would share my vision of what I wanted to create. But I am not a perfumer.
EB: Do you have any favourite notes?
SD: Of Course! I love powdery notes... Vanilla... I also love solar notes or notes that remind me of the beach. Almond too: I've put it into many perfumes... I love Iris. These are notes that are very me. Of course, those aren't the only notes I've been using! I've worked on many perfumes that I liked but I couldn’t wear and on perfumes that are the complete opposite of who I am. For example: Bois D'Armenie, a very rustic fragrance, very woody and spicy. Roses as well, I don't really like roses but I loved working on Rose Barbare with Francis Kurkdjian because it wasn't a typical, soft or romantic rose, but a mischievous rose - I liked it a lot.
EB: What perfumes would you have liked to create?
SD: Shalimar, a mythical fragrance that many would have liked to create and L'Heure Bleue. I haven't found anything as beautiful as L'heure Bleue, it was created by Jacques Guerlain, and for me, it's The Perfume.
EB: As Artistic Director of Guerlain how do you see the trend of gourmand fragrances?
SD: Guerlain invented it and it started with Shalimar, with its overdose of vanilla and tonka bean. We don't communicate it enough. Angel was the first to be marketed as a gourmand perfume, but I find that we were doing it before there were labels for it, without knowing it. Take L'heure Bleue, with its orange blossom and marshmallow combination. Today, it's pushed to extremes.
EB: A few of the perfumes that came out recently used powdery or retro notes and were very liked by consumers. It seems for perfumers (and fashion) being modern is a choice between revisiting the past or creating new scents. What is your interpretation of "modern”?
SD: Modern is something that has never existed before, it's creating something new or an unexpected mix of ideas - no matter how it's made. Now, how much synthetic, a little or a lot or if it's 100% natural, I don't really care - it's the result that counts. When you see a painting, you don't know if the pigments are natural or synthetic, the important thing is the emotional response that it rouses in you. A modern fragrance is a fragrance that has you guessing and thinking: "What is that? I've never smelled anything like it!" A fragrance that dares and that is not safe.
EB: Is it hard to be modern with a house that has such a weighty DNA?
SD: Not all! We have so many notes available to us, a whole palette; it's always possible to create something new. And that is also in our DNA: to create. We might not be working at the cutting edge, but we do certainly dare to make interesting perfumes.
EB: Are there any notes that aren’t considered trendy or modern but that you would love to put into a perfume?
SD: I adore working with notes that aren't trendy or modern like the immortelle flower; it reminds me of Corsica and a certain warm earthiness. I’ve always been fond of violets as well. I adore mimosa flowers too, Thierry and I put them into Champs-Élysées, very solar - I love it!
EB: There is a big trend in cosmetics for more natural ingredients; do you think it’s possible to have a natural perfume?
SD: Yes it's possible to have a 100% natural perfume, but it will never diffuse well and often it will smell medicinal. It's not easy to do and there are very few good ones. Personally, Jicky [by Guerlain not in production] was a revolution, a lot of natural with a few synthetic notes for an unexpected twist and to sublimate the natural notes. For me, it's the perfect balance between both. Today we glorify what is natural, but beware, because natural products can cause stronger allergic reactions. Nature can be dangerous.
And also all those bio labels are bit irritating because people are starting to talk about things that aren't true or of which they don't know anything about. Just recently I was in a large retail store and this woman is telling me that her perfume is 100% natural. I ask her what’s in it... lilac, lily of the valley and freesia. Even if you payed a fortune, those notes don't exist naturally. Sure there can be perfumes that are certified bio, but I don't see the point.
EB: Due to the new concentration laws many are talking about the death of perfumery as an art. What is your point of view on these new laws?
SD: I am saddened because it's not really a question of concentrations or about certain ingredients that are said to be dangerous for allergies or to be carcinogenic, but the fact that they will be removed from the palette of the perfumer. One day we might find ourselves with very little left to work with.
There is a greater risk of consuming harmful compounds than exposure through perfumes. There is a lobbying process going on at the moment, but beware, it's much less risky than eating a steak cooked on charcoal or what comes out of the exhaust pipes of automobiles: now that is really carcinogenic!
Well of course it's also damaging to a lot of mythical perfumes. I'm really happy that Thierry is fighting back and working with dermatologists to prove that it's not so dangerous.
EB: What do you think about celebrity fragrances?
SD: I find nothing wrong with them. It takes a bit of everything.
EB: You are working in a field traditionally dominated by men and you’re also at the head of Guerlain, was it hard to accomplish?
SD: It was hard at the beginning but if you are passionate, everything is possible. I have a lot of female perfumer friends; there are a lot more women perfumers today.
You
can catch Sylvaine on her own personal blog.
For more information on their exclusive lines visit my blog about Guerlain.
